Organised labour in Nigeria’s aviation sector is pushing back strongly against the federal government approval of a 30 percent debt relief for domestic airlines, warning the move could trigger fresh instability across the industry.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos, the General Secretary of the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals, ANAP, Comrade AbdulRasaq Saidu, accused airline operators of breaching aviation laws by failing to remit the statutory five percent passenger service charge due to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority.
He described the withheld funds as public revenue, stressing that workers would resist any attempt to write off what is owed to government agencies.
The warning is echoed by the President of the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, Comrade John Ogbe, who says the decision is misguided and risks undermining the very institutions that keep the sector running.
According to him, agencies such as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA, depend heavily on these revenues for safety oversight, infrastructure, and staff welfare.
Both labour leaders argue that forgiving part of the debt could weaken regulatory capacity at a time when agencies are already under financial strain.
They insist airlines should meet their obligations, not receive concessions on funds that do not belong to them.
While acknowledging the intervention efforts of the Aviation Minister, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the unions are calling for a rethink, urging the government instead to tackle the root causes of the airlines’ financial distress, particularly the rising cost of aviation fuel.
The dispute comes as operators warn that surging operational costs could force flight suspensions, raising concerns that the standoff between labour and government may deepen pressure on Nigeria’s already fragile aviation industry.
Reporting By Nosa Aituamen